The "perfect" Fair Isle sweater

For about two years, I have been on the lookout for the "perfect" Fair Isle sweater. I'm not sure where I got the mental image for this sweater, but I could picture it in my mind's eye and it was the yard stick by which all potential Fair Isles were measured against. I would scour Ebay, would check the seasonal selections from standards like LL Bean, Lands End, Brooks Brothers, and J. Crew, but I could never find one that met my standards. However, last week I poking around Ebay and stumbled across this beauty. It is an old LL Bean sweater, wool, knit in Scotland, and in my size. The colors are nicely muted and the patterns are neither too small nor too large. I went ahead and jumped on it and managed to scoop it up for the kingly sum of $10. I received it in the mail just three days after winning the auction (I was very impressed by that), and it is fantastic. It fits a touch larger than I would want it to, but I'm hoping that can be solved by a trip through the washer and dryer. Anyways, my quest is over, and now I am just waiting for the temperatures to drop low enough to wear it.

The "third item"

Frankly, I would say that I am a pretty boring dresser. Most days, I usually wear khakis or jeans (khaki shorts in the warmer months) and an oxford cloth buttondown (OCBD) shirt. I have OCBDs in several different colors, and also have sport shirts in madras for the warmer months and some shirts different checks and plaids for the cooler months. However, the general equation is usually just pants+shirt=dressed.

Once the weather cools down, though, I am able to bring some more variety to my daily dress by incorportating, what I refer to as, the "third item." This is usually a sweater, a sport coat, a jacket (like a Barbour), or even a tie, but I feel like it is the essential item to completing an outfit (I do hesitate to use the word "outfit" since that is usually a word that women use, thouh I feel like I am using it in a slightly different context). This "third item" can completely change the outfit by becoming the focal point, making the pants and shirts to perform their roles as supporting players. When I am able to wear this third item, that is when I really feel like I am "dressed."

The fact is, though, that it is simply too hot to incorporate this "third item" pretty much from June through most of Septemeber. Of course one can wear a tie or blazer during these warmer months, but for the most part, it is simply not the preferable choice. Now that the temperatures are dropping, I am looking forward to making the most of my wardrobe.

Fantasy Football: Week 3

In case anyone was wondering (which is doubtful), this week was another loss on the Fantasy Football front. The game was against my Fantasy arch-nemesis, and in spite of anemic numbers for both of us, he managed to best me, 85-79. On the upside, I had Ronnie Brown score 46 points. On the downside, he was on the bench and was of no benefit to me. Having only scored a total of 13 points in the first two weeks, there was a reason I had him on the bench, but this was definitely one of those "hindsight is 20/20" decisions. Oh well. The season is young.

"Great Cocktails" on Hulu

I was browsing Hulu.com the other night looking for something to watch and came across the show "Great Cocktails." This show apparently comes on the Fine Living Network, which is a great channel if, like the rest of us, you're trying to figure out how much house you can buy for $12.5 million. This "Great Cocktails" show was pretty good, though. Each 20+ minute episode presents stories about several different types of drinks, and offers up recipes, anecdotes and advice. I found it pretty informational and entertaining and would recommend it if you've got some time to kill on the computer.

Introducing: the belt koozie

Few things are more annoying than having to carry your drink while you are walking around, especially if you are at a tailgate or out shooting. Your hand gets cold, your beer gets warm, and you have to carry your arm at an annoying 90 degree angle. Fortunately, the Texas Hunt Co. can supply you with their "All-Terrain Beverage Holster for Belt", or belt koozie as I prefer.



In all seriousness, I think this thing is awesome. My boss this summer came back from a dove shoot in Argentina with one similar to this, and to say that I was green with envy would be an understatement. I stumbled across this one the other day and was ecstatic that I could now possess one without having to go all the way down to Argentina. I think that people perhaps underestimate the importance of a proper koozie, and I admit that I was ignorant of it until I met some girls from Auburn who usually had at least two koozies in their purses, and a few in the car. But that is another post.

SocialPrimer

I came across the SocialPrimer blog through someone else's blog, though I can't remember whose. However, I have thoroughly been enjoying it. It is a well written and entertaining collection of brief essays on etiquette and style. One might even think of it as the Emily Post of the blogosphere. I have enjoyed reading it so far, and look forward to many future posts.

For the grammar nazis out there...

Today I accidentally stumbled across the website Common Errors in English. It is awesome. Tired of people saying "run the gambit" instead of "run the gamut," or mixing up "taken aback" with "taken back"? As someone who is constantly amazed at the poor state of grammar in the US, I assure you that this is the website for you. There is enough on there for even the biggest stickler to learn something.

A disappointing update

This is sort of an update to my second to last blog post found here. According to this article, the "honorable" Larry P. Langford is moving forward with his Olympics pipe dream by selecting a Birmingham Olympic Committee. Perhaps what I personally find even more awful is that the Associate Athletic Director from Samford, Jay Roberson, is involved in this nonsense. I am seriously considering writing him a letter to express my disappointment in his associating my alma mater with such bullshit.

The highlight (or should I say lowlight?) of the article is the last paragraph:
“After watching the government hand $85 billion to AIG last night, we need to go to the federal government for $3.2 billion to pay off the sewer debt and another couple of billion for the Olympics,” Langford said.

Yeah, Larry, that's it. The government is just handing out money willy-nilly now and I'm sure they'd love to give some money to Birmingham to fix the problems with the sewer that you had serious involvement in causing. Dumbass.

Fantasy football domination

I reconsidered the post I made last night and decided that it might not be the most gentlemanly. Instead, I would simply like to point out that I am now 1-1 in Fantasy Football, and I've not got a pretty good feeling about my team.

"A wonderful tribute to a man who is inspiring 10's of people"

Larry Langford, mayor of Birmingham, is a dumb-ass. Frankly, that is putting it lightly, but I suppose I will refrain from using worse language on the blog. Fortunately, the New York Times has realized this and recently published an article entitled "Mayor Pushes Skeptical Birmingham to Dream on an Olympic Scale." I think that the first two paragraphs do a good job of summing up this point:

"BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In his first year as Birmingham’s mayor, Larry P. Langford has proposed a $500 million domed stadium, a $125 million law enforcement complex and a $33 million trolley car network.

But those ideas were dwarfed by Mr. Langford’s proclamation this month: He wants the Olympics."

This whole article really made me frustrated to read. I worry about going back to Birmingham after I finish up grad school and having to deal with the consequences of his time on County Council and as mayor. The only hope is that he doesn't get reelected next term. Perhaps if the people who voted for him last time would read the following sentence, they might realize just how stupid he is: “There’s all this talk about inflation, recession. I choose not to participate. I just don’t have this defeatist attitude.”